How many times have you heard that? It’s almost a knee-jerk reaction by some. Especially if they rely on old-fashioned marketing, PR & advertising tactics like print and trade shows.

WHAT”S THAT SOUND?

Over 600 million people per day use social media to create, connect and communicate with others. Don’t believe me? Look below.

WE’RE BEING GUTENBERGED

Social media is the Gutenberg printing press of our time. Johannes Gutenberg’s invention of mechanical movable type printing freed the speed and spread of learning to the masses. The masses, the people (that’d be you and me) who had been held back by lack of reading skills, handwritten manuscripts and a ruling elite that thought the masses were too stupid and dumb to be able to think for themselves. Now comes social media – and the holding back of real-time 1:1 communications between companies, customers and prospects is dead. Almost.

What’s that sound?

RING-TWEET-DING-PING

That phone you’re hearing is coming from social media networks. It’s a true communication medium just like the old-fashioned iPhone. It’s an unalterable business reality. No going back. But many businesses still refuse to acknowledge it – to their financial detriment. True, the social media phone has a different ring, pitch, tone, timbre – but it’s still ringing.

Well … that’s weird, what’s that strange sound?

HELLO, IT’S ME

Hi. It’s me. Your customer. Anyone there? I couldn’t get through your elaborate call system. I pressed 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10–11 and then on 12 got sent back to the operator who asked me to press 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10–11.

I’m tired of dealing with companies like yours. And I’m intentionally shifting all my business to the companies that I can tweet, text, email, Facebook, FriendFeed, Google Buzz or connect with them through LinkedIn or on their blog.

I’m shifting everything I can – any transaction – to social media platforms and businesses that can deliver high quality service, services and products through them.

MARAUDING MAVENS OR MORONIC MORONS?

Mavens understand this.

Morons cling to the past … because that’s where their only future is.

Memories, not dreams.

THE ROI DEATHBED

Let’s put that social media ROI bugaboo argument to bed. The death bed. Either for the ROI argument or your business.

ONE SIMPLE QUESTION

What’s the ROI of your business telephone?

What’s the ROI?

On Twitter,LinkedIn, (has 75 million subscribers and is adding tons every second) Facebook (Facebook alone has over 500,000 million users), YouTube, Blogs, and other social media networks people are talking. They’re shouting out to you in the way, the format, they feel most comfortable with.

IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU

It might not be the format you’re most comfortable with. In fact, it might be the very format you’re most uncomfortable with. But it’s not about you now, is it?

What company doesn’t answer their phones … and stays in business long?

What’s the ROI?

IT’S THE BUSINESS OF NOW

People using social media to connect and communicate with businesses are adapting to the new reality of the business of now. They’re open to new ways to connect, on both a business and personal level. Not stuck in the past. Not stuck doing things the same “old way.”

There’s that weird sound again.

HELLO, IS ANYONE THERE? CAN ANYONE HELP ME?

They’re calling you just the same as they would on a phone. If you answer the social media “phone” you can create, connect and build a community of trust and credibility … and your business at the same time.